Ready to Change Your Mind About Soluble?

We spoke to Joe Massoud, COO at Sucafina Ingredients, Will McNaught, Senior Trader for Sucafina Ingredients, and Complete Coffee UK, to learn more about the common misconceptions and hidden potential of soluble coffee. Sucafina Ingredients is a leading supplier of Instant coffee beverages globally. 

What is soluble coffee?

“Many people look down on instant or soluble coffee as if it isn’t real coffee,” Complete Coffee says. “That reputation is unfair because soluble coffee is, after all, 100% real coffee that’s been brewed then de-hydrated – nothing is added or taken away.”

Soluble coffee dates back to the 18^th century, when an early soluble coffee brand, called “Coffee Compound”, was sold. Coffee Compound was a simple pressed cake made of brewed and dried coffee. In the mid-19^th century, on the heels of a new condensed milk process, several more versions of soluble coffee were made, some sweetened with molasses or sugar. These newer versions were more long-lasting than the early Coffee Compound cakes.

Soluble continued to evolve with new inventions and needs. In the late 1920s, the stock market crash led to a surplus of coffee beans in France and a partnership with Nestle, who used the novel spray-drying method to make the first Nescafe. Then, in World War II, demands for coffee kickstarted the freeze-drying method. Today, the soluble industry continues to improve the drying process and develop new products and techniques.

One way that soluble is currently making waves in the coffee industry is with processing plants in producing countries. Since roasted coffee has a short shelf life, green coffee is typically grown in producing countries and roasted in the country where it’s consumed. Soluble coffee is much more shelf stable so it is increasingly common for producing countries to process soluble coffee and export a value-added product, capturing more value at origin.

How It’s Made

Making soluble coffee is a complex and highly technical process but, broadly speaking, there are three processes for producing it: spray drying, agglomeration and freeze-drying.  

In recent years, processing changes have focused on improving taste and quality. To produce a good quality instant coffee, you need both a good quality bean and a good processing plant, Joe Massoud explains. “Temperature and pressure must be strictly controlled throughout the drying process to ensure good extraction and quality,” he says. Modern processing uses lower temperatures during extraction to retain as much of the nuance and quality as possible.

In spray drying, brewed coffee is sprayed in a fine mist into a dry, hot environment. In such small droplets, the heat dries the mist quickly, creating a fine powder. Agglomeration uses a similar spray drying process but adds an additional step. Once the mist has dried, the powder is passed through steam, causing the particles to join together, creating granules. “Agglomeration is mainly to do with packaging,” Will McNaught explains. Massoud adds, “Agglomerated coffee was created to compete with the visuals of freeze-dried coffee particles. Agglomerated coffee does not mean less weight, just more volume.”

Freeze drying involves freezing a thick, concentrated liquid at very cold temperatures. Then, the frozen granules are dried at a low temperature in a vacuum, which lowers the boiling point of the water. In the vacuum-environment, the water sublimates – jumping straight from frozen ice to a gas – and evaporates, leaving the dried granules behind.

The Pros

Before we jump into how soluble can be tasty, we asked about soluble’s biggest pros. Complete Coffee are clear on the many pros of soluble. “In many ways soluble is a far more predictable and consistent cup than roast & ground because the making of it (adding hot water) is very simple. With soluble, you don’t have to contend with the vagaries of dosage, filters, grind size or tamping. They’re eliminated from the equation,”. “It is also quick and, because it’s not volatile, it’s easier to store for long periods without any product deterioration. Soluble coffee is to a greater extent the worlds coffee because it can be made in any home, without the need for specialized equipment.”

On top of all of that, soluble also has a smaller footprint than roasted and ground coffee, mainly because production is highly efficient and more centralized. Further, soluble coffee is far more efficient in its green to brewed ratio: a single kilogram of green coffee can make up to 200 cups of soluble coffee while that same kilogram of green coffee can make about 40 cups of roasted and ground coffee. Soluble coffee can serve far more people.

Can Soluble Be Great?

Like any good coffee, great soluble begins with great beans. “The processing method doesn’t say anything about the coffee you started out with,” McNaught says. There’s increasing focus on making high-quality soluble coffees and that begins with choosing high-quality beans.

As Massoud explains, “both coffee and process are equally important. Today, we blend Robusta and Arabica to produce a balanced and complex cup of instant coffee,” he says.

For processing, freeze-drying is the best bet for quality soluble, all three agree. While spray drying and agglomeration use heat to dry coffee, which damages the flavor, “freeze-drying is very good at preserving the quality and flavor without deterioration,” Complete Coffee says.

Another advancement has been adding micro-ground coffee to improve mouthfeel. Many premium instant coffees now contain a percentage of finely ‘micro-ground’ coffee beans to add mouthfeel and better aromatics to the cup.

Finally, a key factor in soluble quality is ratio. It’s quite common for commercial users like vending machines to use very low doses of instant coffee. Without enough soluble powder, the coffee tastes weak and unappealing. Sometimes, the best way to improve a cup of soluble coffee is to increase the ratio of soluble powder to water.

Selecting Quality Soluble

The gap between roasted and ground and soluble coffee has narrowed over time and continues to shrink as new processes evolve. Here are Complete Coffee's tips for finding a quality soluble coffee for you.

Process

“In general, freeze-dried soluble is the highest quality. The freeze-drying process better preserves the flavor and aroma of the beans."

Micro-ground

“Look for coffees with micro-ground coffee beans. This will improve aromatics and texture.

Origin

“Most soluble coffee is blended. While that will have consistency from cup to cup, if you want specific flavor characteristics, you may want to seek out single-origin soluble coffees. This is a growing field with many high-quality contenders.”

Price

“In general, you get what you pay for. If you want a good quality cup, the best advice is to choose a premium instant coffee. There are many low-cost options, but don’t expect much for a $1 jar of soluble coffee.”

Soluble coffee is paving the way for affordable, tasty coffee and there’s more to it than meets the eye. Advancements in technology, and new practices like micro-ground coffee beans, are improving soluble’s overall taste, and the number of people drinking soluble coffee is growing. Soluble also has a smaller footprint than roasted and ground coffee. Don’t miss your chance to explore the growing sector of soluble coffee. Reach out to us today to learn more.